January 31, 2012

No-Tortilla Squash Burrito

This is one of those what do I have in the house kind of meals. I guess it has been that kind of week. It's not that I didn't go food shopping. I did. I just didn't have the presence of mind to think through things like, what will I be eating for dinner this week.

The squash is actually a lone holdover from the farm share. There are still some berries and such in the freezer, but the squash has been sitting out on the counter just waiting for attention for about two months. Today was the day. I also had some leftover sour cream from a baking experiment that I didn't want to forget about. Sour cream definitely falls into the category of things that I buy only because a specific recipe calls for it, use the amount for that recipe, and then find several months later molding in the back of the fridge. I wasn't going to let that happen this time.

Squash plus sour cream seemed to lend itself to two options: soup, which I really wasn't in the mood for, and mexican. Having no tortillas, I decided to approximate the contents of a burrito and go from there.

This recipe is endlessly customizable. Here are just a few ideas for substitutions:
* Instead of acorn squash: butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
* Other veggies you could add: bell peppers, artichokes, cabbage, tomato.
* Also, if I had had any, I definitely would have added jalapenos or some other fresh hot pepper.
* Cilantro would be nice as well, to add to the garnish.
* You could use the sour cream plain. Or use plain yogurt.
* A pepper jack cheese might be nice instead of chedder.

All in all, this is a pretty low maintenance weeknight meal. It takes about an hour, but much of that is not active time.

Preheat the oven to 375. Slice the squash in half. Scrape out the seeds. Rub each half with about half a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Lay face down on a cookie sheet. Bake for about forty minutes until the squash is soft. Scrape the squash away from the skin. Discard the skin. Stir the squash together with the beans.

Thinly slice and chop the onion. Saute it in a dry pan on low for about ten minutes until the onion starts to wilt. Add two tablespoons olive oil. Saute over low heat for about twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. Chop the mushroom and add it the onion. Saute for about another twenty minutes, until the onion is soft and sweet.

Combine the sour cream, the mexican spice blend, and the lime juice and whisk with a fork. Add a few dashes of hot sauce until it reaches your desired spiciness level.

To assemble your burrito, put a large scoop of squash and beans in a bowl. Add a scoop of the mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle on some cheddar cheese. End with a dollop of the sour cream.

About Us

Franklin and Madison

Franklin and Madison both live in our nation's capital, and we are both lawyers. We both love our jobs, so we won't be quitting to open a cupcake shop any time soon. Instead, baking (and sometimes cooking) is an evening and weekend activity.

The idea behind this blog is that even a girl on a budget with a time-consuming day job can have a delicious homemade treat. To that end, many of our recipes require an hour or less of active prep time. Of course, we also like a good project from time to time, so make sure to check the total time before getting started on something!

Adams

Adams is our web guru extraordinaire! He is also a lawyer. But knows html. So there you go.